Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1887-01-27
LAST OF THE1RRACE.
The Smithsoniaa Institution Secures q Few
Specimens of Buftaio.

William I. Hornaday., chief taxider-
mist Of the National Museum at Wash.
ington, has returned from an extended
buffalo hint in Montana. file is a hat
uralist of considerable note and is the
author of Two Years in the JUNGLE
published by Scribners. which graphi-
cally describes his adventures while
making extensive collections of tigers,
elephants. gavials, etc, in India and
orapg-outaRgs in Borneo. Mr.. .Horna-
days mission in Montana has been TO
secure complete series of specimens of
the buffalo for the National collections,
and it has taken him two months to ac-
complish his work.
The buffalo," said Mr.. Hornaday,
has been swept off from our Western
plains in q remarkably short time.
Where once vast herds OF bison roamed
through the whole country between the
Saskatchewan and Southern Texas and
buffalo-hunting was comparatively
tame sport, there are now but q few
hundreds OF the noble aninals left, and
they nrc as shy and wild rs deer. In
1888 the last great herd that has been
seen went into the British Possessions
and seems TO havedisappeared entirely.
In Texas there are now not more than
hundred buffalo. while in the Yellow
stone divide east of Miles City, Mont,
where we hunted, there are not more
than sixty. In the Yellowstone Park
preserves there are perhaps hundred
and fifty which cannot be killed, while
we were unable to learn Of q single one
In THE British Possessions. The divide
between the waters of the Yellowstone
and the Missouri contains about 1000
square miles. and some of it is about
the toughest, widest and poorest coun-
try IN America. The soil is so friable
that small streams OF water make deep
gullies, or coolies" as they are called,
which, when covered with snow, are
very deceptive and dangerous to horse-
men,
I'VE hunted this whole tract of coun-
try over with the Utmost perseYerancs
Tor two months, and the net result IL
our hunt is twenty-five skins, sixteen
skeletons, and fifty skulls for tho Ma
tional collections. The success Of the
expedition was exceedingly problemati-
cal from the start, as the species is so
nearly extinct. confess, however, that
was pretty well discouraged when |
reached Miles City and talked with the
old settlers and tho cowboys. why,
stranger said one veteran buffalo
hunter, we haven't seed buffalo in
these here parts for three years Bets
were freely offered in my presence that
our party wouldn't secure single
buffalo, and there were no takers. How
ever, we secured three cowboys, two
soldiers. one OF whom acted rs our cook,
ten horses, and four mule teams; and
left for the divide; where every one
agreed biifialo would be found il any
where. In a months time we had
secured ten specimens and were living
on buffalo meat 1t was hard work,
though, 10 find tho bison. and still
harder work to catch and kill them
when found. We gave ourselves no
rest, rs | knew il was the last chance
ut specimens. As result the Smith
sonian now has the finest series of
buffalo specimens, of all sizes, ages. and
sexes, that exists anywhere.
VALUABLE? Yes, suppose the series,
which it cost us $4,000 to get, could not
be duplicated for less than $4,000 OF
sc. 000 III ten or fifteen years, when
the race has become entirely extinct
those skins will be worth more than
their weight in gold. We were just in
the nick of time to secure them. Next
year would have been eternally too
late. Indeed. the Montana cowboys
allowed that ours was tine
luckiest outfit that had come into the
MIR. Hornaday was Very pronounced
In his opinion Of the Indians and tbs
way they are supported in idicness BY
the gosetEtncht. '.Nhs;n said he;
they Me tllieyihg, lying set Of loaiets
who ought 10 be- Daic 10 earn their
living. We lfad- QUE painful experience
with a wandering band Of Assiniboines
which cost us a handsome skeleton.
One of our cowboys had sighted fine
old bull, and after hard ehnss Of
fifteen miles had bronght him to gfass.
1t was long distance from camp aud !
the hour was late, so lie dressed tho
buffalo and left II iih,l VII cotild conle |
and get 1t ii tho inotnihg, WhHn tsa |
came upon the ground we found that |
the Indians had carried oil the skin and !
meat and mad tsmutilated the skeleton.
The head they could not take, so, daub- |
ing it with red and yellow war-paint, |
they tied y red rag offhold defiance to
one of the horns, II